It is well known that isocyanates readily react with water. In fact, the hydrolysis of isocyanates which can be catalyzed by either acids or bases is disclosed in organic chemistry textbooks such as J. March; Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms and Structure; page 658; 1968. The hydrolysis of isocyanates results in the formation of primary amines and carbon dioxide, as is shown below. ##STR1##
Since isocyanate groups readily react with water, the emulsion polymerization of monomers containing isocyanate groups is not normally considered. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,096 discloses a process wherein the isocyanate group on meta-TMI is "blocked" with a cationic carbamate structure and then polymerized into a polymer. The cationic carbamate structure can then be eliminated thermally to regenerate the isocyanate group which was blocked during the polymerization process.